The gloves are off

I have long defended an American corporation, much hated by anti-globalisation types, greens, leftists, even many conservatives. While many seem to think that the mission of said corporation is to destroy all that is good in the world and to act as a back door through which America can destroy local colour and local traditions, I have found it hard to fault a company that sells hamburgers to people who voluntarily choose to consume them, that has introduced the concept of the public toilet to many parts of the world where the idea was lacking, and generally provides excellent customer service to go with its slightly questionable food. I have found it hard to see anything sinister in that.

But alas, in the Praça da Liberdade in Porto on Saturday, I discovered that those brave battlers against corporate domination of the world were right. For the era of concealment is over. McDonald’s restaurants are now established in most of the world, and they can finally allow their true ambitions and the true scope of their mission to become clear. The time for hiding is now, clearly, over.

I will confess that despite their obvious sinister ambitions, I quite like the new logo.

Prefer Burger King myself.
It’s the illusion of flames having been any where near it that fires me up!
Oy You Yanks!? Why didn’t we get Dairy Queen over here instead of the above?
To my 21 yr old palete back in 73, they were the business. Lousy marketing I bet.

Well maybe you could have meet the guys from Blasfémias
a Porto’s Libertarian Blog ablasfemia.blogspot.com Curious thing in Portugal libertarian/right blogs are most important political blogs of Portuguese blogosphere but in “real” political world for ex: next presidential election there is already 4 left candidates and if our former prime minister Cavaco Silva takes the race will be 4 left+ 1 centrist…

Btw i was expecting some samizdata tips from Polish Election. Civic Party seem that got 24%…

Btw the Eagle in McDonalds must be for sure some SERIOUS provocation from Benfica Supporters inside enemy gates Hehehe. Porto Football Club symbol is the Dragon, Eagle is the Benfica symbol. So nothing related to world domination 🙂

Verity, I always used to take small bottles of Marmite and Colman’s mustard to the US to give to US colleagues. Quite part from the goodwill aspect of giving them a little present from England, it was amusing to wait for the reaction:

Even more fun if they had spread the Marmite like peanut butter. Perhaps this is why it hasn’t caught on in the US?

Incidentally I’m very familiar with both Marmite and Vegemite. Marmite is clearly the superior product (Vegemite has the appearance and texture of mud), but I will use Vegemite if the real thing isn’t available.

Yes, I will gladly accept Vegemite as a substitute if Marmite isn’t available. It’s delicious in its own way. But that is even rarer on this side of the Atlantic. I suspect that the reason Marmite never caught on in the US is, Americans seem to be predisposed to sweet, rather than salty, tastes. A lot of their soup is loaded with sugar.

McDonald’s was badly rattled by the publicity over those two protestors whom it sued for libel, and is desperately trying to cultivate a more touchy-feely image in Britain. Instead of obesity-fostering burgers, suddenly it’s all sandwiches and salads. No more ‘Go Large’ but lots of healthy options and diet info. A small sign that even the greediest behemoth can be cowed by the truth, and the culture of waste shamed by the gallantry of idealists. Next up: Asda, alias Wal-Mart.

It was an old coffee/tea house. Think Macdonald’s was only allowed to explore the place if they kept major architectonical lines, interiors included. Old name was Imperial Cafe, so they had to keep it, and so revealing the true nature of the business 😉

I applaud the business of McDonalds but if they had to rely on me they would go bust quick. I find the food simply indigestible. However what do I know? I adore marmite sandwiches, black olives, anchovies and caviar. (not all together) Perhaps it is that salt thing that Verity mentioned.

Okay, I have to ask (as an American who loves Samizdata): what the HELL is Marmite? I have to tell you, it doesn’t SOUND appetizing, so a name change and some better marketing might be in order… thanks in advance to my friends on the other side of the Atlantic for your anwer!

Well since you tempt me Richard, and I think you have put your finger on this; Marketing is definately a problem for this product.
Think the colour and consistancy of sump oil. Then blend in a little salty sand and grit and you’ve got Marmite.
It’s a vegetable extract. Which vegetable exactly has never been explained.
Nor indeed, how it got extracted(humanely I’m sure!).
It is the vilest tasting stuff in a Galaxy of Douglas Adams universes, but it was supposed to stop a whole generation getting richets or somethin.
So like I’m not backward with my marketing, how many crates do you want Richard?

For a start (and unlike Vegemite) Marmite is completely smooth and has no grittiness whatever. It is also primarily yeast extract. Vegetable extract is a minor ingredient. It is dark brown, shiny and has a very distinctive strong (and salty) favour. You use it in tiny quantities (on account of its strong flavour), typically on buttered toast, but it’s also an excellent addition to stocks, stews, etc. It is considered very healthy as it is very high in B vitamins.

It is sold in a distinctively-shaped glass ‘bottle’ with a yellow cap. As they say on the adverts “You either love it or you hate it”. Personally, I love it.

Just a small nitpick: It’s “Praça da Liberdade” (Liberty Square) not “liberade”.
That place used to be a famous coffee shop called “Cafe Imperial”. They kept most of the original architecture intact, and it’s quite a site. Definately the most beautiful McDonalds restaurant i’ve ever been in.

madne: Damn. I went to all that trouble to get the cedilla right, and then I made a spelling error. (I have now gone and fixed it in the article).

Of international chains, McDonald’s use of interesting old buildings is far inferior to that of Starbucks, who are extremely good at respecting the history and architecture of a building and still making it definitely into a Starbucks.

Years ago when the hit song about the “vegimite sandwich” was on the charts, a bunch of us midwesterners asked an Australian coworker what it was. On her next visit home she brought back a jar.

At work during break she takes out a loaf of bread and the jar of vegemite. Judiciously she puts a small ration on each slice and distributes them. We all stand around in a circle, thoughtfully nibbling vegemite sandwichs with the glazed look of wine tasters. Reviews were mixed. I wondered if perhaps there mightn’t have been a mixup with the labels. Or maybe a bad batch.

MadneO, you took it from my lips. Bicas is what I miss most, back to NY, from my Portuguese vacation. Or, well, not true, the list is long.

Starbacks can’t come close to a hole-in-the-wall, 2 tables-on-the-sidewalk, not especially sparkly-clean cafe on Flower Street in Porto (sorry, can’t write in Portuguese), between antique jewelery and junk stores. And the almond tarts…

Well, now we know that HJHJ loves his Marmite. Well, so do I, but you can’t get it here. A friend is bringing some down from British Columbia with her, but the jar is so heavy, she doesn’t want to pack more than one.

madneo: I can’t imagine that Starbucks will open any stores in Portugal soon, either. Espresso coffee seems to be available everywhere in Portugal, and it is very good and very cheap. I can’t imagine Starbucks could make money in your market. The situation is quite different from that of England and most of northern Europe, where coffee was unsepeakable before Starbucks and similar chains entered the market.

As for “cedilla”, I will stand my ground. This particular diacritical is not used in English, but the English spelling of the word (used when English linguists are talking about other languages) is definitely “cedilla”.

Is it used in Castilian? I am not sure I have ever seen it, although I think I have in Catalan.

I’m glad you restricted your criticism of coffee to England Michael.
Cos you used to be able to get amazing coffee in the S Wales valleys since before the war, on account of a large number of Italian immigrants who came from one small region.
They ran all the cafes in the Valleys and there were literally hundreds of them.
Oh and the ice cream they made!!!!
Scuse me a minute, I hear the Fridge calling.

I find Macdonald’s nauseating, even the smell as you walk past is foul.
Luniversal – I disagree – their new salads and baguettes etc – surely they’ve been pushed into offering those due to competition from Subway?

RAB: That’s interesting. My terrible confession is that I have never been to Wales (except in the very technical sense of walking across the Severn Bridge and then walking straight back again). This was (and is) a characteristic of my native Australia too. The large number of Italian immigrants who came to Australia post-war also brought their espresso machines with them, so good coffee was also readily available in Australia long before one could buy a decent (or often any) espresso in England. Although Starbucks and similar have found a niche in Australia, it is a much smaller one than in England – they weren’t conquering virgin territory the way they were in England.

Marmite has come to Tallahassee, Florida, in the local World Market store. I think it’s a shame, really. I used to bring back odd things like that from overseas and now any local can get them any time. It’s a bit frustrating. Every town in the world will eventually have every local delicacy from every other little town. Then there won’t be any reason to travel. One exception. On a trip to New England I brought back some Moxie soft drink (“tonic”). I don’t think that will ever sell in Florida. But it’s wonderful.

Who Are We?

The Samizdata people are a bunch of sinister and heavily armed globalist illuminati who seek to infect the entire world with the values of personal liberty and several property. Amongst our many crimes is a sense of humour and the intermittent use of British spelling.